Aug. 30—MERCER — A Common Pleas judge sentenced a Grove City man Monday to jail in a case that stemmed from humane agents’ discovery of at least 37 dead and 27 living but neglected animals last March in a Mercer-area residence.
Philip Schaefer, 54, of 1567 S. Center St., was charged with 37 felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and 108 misdemeanor counts of neglect of animals. He pleaded guilty to one consolidated count of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Schaefer was sentenced to 3 to 12 months in Mercer County Jail followed by 5 years probation. A condition while he is on probation or parole is that he can not have any animals.
“This man is brutal to animals and it requires incarceration,” Mercer County Common Pleas President Judge Daniel P. Wallace said.
Wallace asked Schaefer why he did what he did.
“My mental state was too bleak,” Schaefer said.
Wallace said he accepted that response.
“You’re in front of a judge that loves animals,” Wallace told him.
Wallace also ordered Schaefer to attend mental health treatment sessions.
Mercer County humane Agent Paul Tobin said he went March 11 to a residence at 620 Millburn Road, Springfield Township, where he found 19 dead ducks and a live duck, 16 dead chickens and 15 to 20 live chickens, and a dead dog and two live dogs that were extremely emaciated.
He also found a dead goat and four emaciated goats, four dead yearling horses, the bones of a horse and bones of two guinea pigs.
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